The summer transfer window marked a poignant moment for those at Tottenham Hotspur, as the curtain came down on Harry Kane's stellar stint at N17 – the England skipper sealing a move to Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich having had just a year to run on his contract in north London.
That high-profile departure had come just under ten years on from Spurs losing another sparkling talisman to a historic, European giant following Gareth Bale's £85m switch to Real Madrid, with chairman Daniel Levy sanctioning that sale on deadline day in 2013.
While it was not long after the Welshman's exit that things began to click under Mauricio Pochettino – as that man Kane emerged onto the scene in 2014/15 – there will be Lilywhites supporters pondering whether 'success' could have been achieved earlier had the now-retired speedster not been allowed to move to the Bernabeu a decade ago.
Could Andre Villas-Boas have remained in the job for a longer stint? Could the north Londoners have begun to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea at the summit?
Off the back of a 2012/13 season that saw Bale register 40 goals and assists in all competitions, it is easy to contemplate whether the former Southampton could have kicked on even further in English football and helped to end the club's lengthy wait for silverware.
One possible certainty had the Cardiff native stayed put that summer is that Levy is unlikely to have sanctioned a £105m spend on seven new faces in that same window, prior to Bale's exit, with those additions potentially having been signed in the knowledge that the forward was to depart.
With that in mind, here's a look at how Villas-Boas' side could have lined up in 2013/14, had Bale remained in place and the majority of that infamous 'magnificent seven' not been signed…
1 Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
The only player from this starting XI that remains on the books under Ange Postecoglou – albeit as a forgotten figure – Hugo Lloris had been snapped up the year prior to Bale's departure, joining on a £13m deal from Ligue 1 side, Lyon.
While the veteran Frenchman has since been cast aside in the present day after initially outlining his desire for a move earlier this year, on the whole, it has been a stunning, lengthy stay in England for the ex-skipper, having racked up 444 appearances in all competitions.
A World Cup winner at international level, in his pomp the 36-year-old was a truly "exceptional" talent – as hailed by ex-teammate Brad Friedel – with a figure of such quality likely having been deserving of a more trophy-laden spell in the Premier League.
Perhaps, with longer time spent watching Bale work his magic higher up the pitch, that goal could have been realised.
2 Right-back – Kyle Walker
The undisputed first-choice option at right-back prior to his £50m move to Manchester City in 2017, Kyle Walker had truly begun to click into gear during the 2012/13 season, with the former Sheffield United ace having provided five assists in 36 league games under Villas-Boas' watch.
That was an early example of the potent attacking threat that the Englishman can offer down the right flank, with it likely to have been exciting to witness the full-back on one side, with Bale on the other wing for a lengthier period of time – a duo that could wreak havoc on opposition defences.
While perhaps not at his peak in Lilywhite, the 33-year-old has since won trophies galore after blossoming into the "best right-back in the world" at the Etihad, as hailed by City's director of football, Txiki Begiristain, having been part of the club's remarkable treble success last term.
3 Centre-back – Michael Dawson
Before the days of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, or even Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, it was Michael Dawson who was holding the fort at the heart of the defence alongside the latter man in 2013, with the former Nottingham Forest ace leading the side as captain at the time.
Having made 27 league outings in 2012/13, Dawson would ultimately go on to make a further 32 appearances in the top flight the following season, prior to joining Hull City in the summer of 2014.
A solid, but unglamorous performer at centre-back, the now-retired titan was perhaps the type of player that Spurs needed to upgrade on at the time, although even if this list were to include the club's infamous seven signings of 2013, eventual flop Vlad Chiriches was the only defensive addition of the lot.
4 Centre-back – Jan Vertonghen
The Belgian colossus would ultimately develop into "one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and in Europe" – in the words of Pochettino – having been a true "warrior" in the backline after signing from Ajax in 2012.
The classy, left-footer had helped to fill the void of former cult hero, Ledley King following the Englishman's retirement that summer, with Levy and co having found a new figure to build their defence around.
Part of the side that remarkably reached the Champions League final in 2019, Vertonghen eventually departed for Benfica a year later, with the 36-year-old now plying his trade in his homeland for Anderlecht.
5 Left-back – Danny Rose
The man who could have linked up with Bale down that left channel, Danny Rose had returned to White Hart Lane in the summer of 2013, having spent the previous campaign on loan at Sunderland in the top-tier.
Having struggled to force his way into the first-team set-up in north London despite his stunning debut goal against rivals Arsenal in 2008, it was in 2013/14 that the one-time Leeds man began to make a strong, consistent impression, registering one goal and four assists in 22 league games.
While the 33-year-old would endure a sour end to his time at the club after being cast aside by Jose Mourinho, he still contributed 38 goals and assists in 219 games across all fronts, ensuring he could have been the perfect attacking foil for Bale.
6 Centre-midfield – Mousa Dembele
Lauded as a "genius" by Pochettino, Mousa Dembele blossomed into a real world-beater following the appointment of the Argentine coach in 2014, with the current Chelsea boss having turned him into a 'special player' – as journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote at the time.
There is perhaps a world, however, in which Pochettino may never have ended up at N17, with the continued presence of Bale potentially set to have kept Villas-Boas in a job for far longer, as the Portuguese tactician was eventually sacked in December 2013 – just months after the Welshman's sale.
In the event of that scenario, would Dembele have become the beloved and influential figure that he developed into under Pochettino's watch?
7 Centre-midfield – Gylfi Sigurdsson
Options in the middle of midfield were particularly thin on the ground at Spurs in 2013, with that summer having seen the likes of Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker move onto pastures new, leaving Villas-Boas with little depth in that department.
In the event of Bale staying, the likes of Christian Eriksen (£11.5m) and Etienne Capoue (£9m) may never have ended up in north London, leaving Gylfi Sigurdsson as one of few options for the club to work with in that area of the squad.
The Icelandic playmaker, in reality, spent just two years with the Lilywhites prior to leaving for Swansea City in 2014, while he now plies his trade for Danish side Lyngby, after leaving Everton.
8 Centre-midfield – Paulinho
With Bale's sale recouping around £85m – and with Levy ultimately spending £105m – that difference of around £20m could have been what the typically frugal Levy would have been willing to spend had the wing wizard stayed put, ensuring that at least one of the 'magnificent seven' can feature in this lineup.
As the first signing of that summer on a £17m deal from Corinthians, it makes sense for Paulinho to be the sole inclusion in the side, particularly with the centre of the park one of the areas that desperately needed bolstering at the time.
Quite whether Bale staying could have altered the Brazilian's dour stint is difficult to predict, with the 6 foot enigma ultimately lasting just two seasons before departing for China, with eight goals and six assists under his belt in 64 games.
9 Right-wing – Aaron Lennon
Unsurprisingly, it was the attacking ranks which saw the most change following the exit of Bale, with the likes of Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado and Nacer Chadli having all been recruited in order to help pep up the front line.
Lamela, in particular, was meant to be the man to try and fill the shoes of the departing hero, although, in his absence, diminutive speedster Aaron Lennon would likely have remained the leading option in that role, having recorded four goals and eight assists in the league in 2012/13.
Just 18 months later, the 21-cap England international was moved on to Everton after falling by the wayside under the Pochettino regime, with things initially tumbling for the club after Bale's move to Madrid.
10 Centre-forward – Emmanuel Adebayor
The second-most expensive signing of that window was Roberto Soldado on a £26m deal, yet had the Spaniard not made the move from his homeland, the onus would have been placed on Emmanuel Adebayor to lead the line heading into 2013/14.
The former Arsenal and Manchester City man wouldn't have exactly been the most inspiring figurehead in attack, however, as he had scored just five league goals in 2012/13, despite previously recording 28 goal involvements in 33 league games the season prior.
Something of a polarising enigma, Adebayor did eventually go on to outscore Soldado – who was the "flop of the season" according to journalist Sam Tighe – with 11 league goals in 13/14, with the summer signing, by contrast, scoring just six top-flight goals as the goalscoring impact of Bale was not adequately filled.
